Declare your own challenge AUGUST 2020 [Samples included]

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Replies

  • fstrickl
    fstrickl Posts: 883 Member
    Okay, week 3 of August here we come. The first two weeks of August felt a little all over the place for me. But now that I’m off holiday mode (boo and yay) I’m feeling more focused. Again, my weekly goals are:
    - start every day with a glass (250 ml) water
    - Clear pee!
    - Lights off at 10:15
    - stay at or under calorie goal

    I’m going to leave an empty glass in my bathroom so when I wake up and head there l’ll see the glass.

    My meal plan is a bit of a cheat this week since we’re getting Hello Fresh (l’ll weigh it to stay at calories). But it’s all written down in my planner. (Someone else here was a paper planner too! High
    five to that). Lucky you all get to see my week 🙃

    6hvovm9col2g.jpeg

    Everyone plans sound great btw, I do read them all and am impressed with this group! Keep it up everyone.
  • Vetleanni
    Vetleanni Posts: 65 Member
    good monday morning to all of you :smile:
    checking in the last week! with an average of 8hrs and only 1 day below 7, I reached my goal this week :smiley: squeezed in 2 medetations also.
    This week my workload is drastically lower than it has been the last month, so i should have no problem reaching my goal. Going for the same as last week, minimum 7hrs, and should have no problem getting 7/7.
    Aiming for daily meditation this week, because it honestly dont take more than a few minutes, so the only reason im not getting it in, is because i just forget. Making a note on my phone.

    You guys are doing great!
    @GabiV125 awsome job on hitting your goals and finally breaking the plateau you have been on! :smile:
    @annliz23 dont let the rain stop you from continiuing on a good roll! :smile:
    @Xiaolongbao I feel you on the pepsi thing. 2 more weeks left.. exited to see if you break out of the overweight BMI category by the end of this month! ;)
    @MeganD1704 thanks for the podcast tips! I will check them out for sure :smile: hope you had a good week and got your workouts in as planned
    @fstrickl wow, you are organized! :smile: things do get easier once holiday mode is over though ;)

    Wishing all of you guys a great week! keep up the good work! :)
  • annliz23
    annliz23 Posts: 3,744 Member
    fstrickl wrote: »
    Okay, week 3 of August here we come. The first two weeks of August felt a little all over the place for me. But now that I’m off holiday mode (boo and yay) I’m feeling more focused. Again, my weekly goals are:
    - start every day with a glass (250 ml) water
    - Clear pee!
    - Lights off at 10:15
    - stay at or under calorie goal

    I’m going to leave an empty glass in my bathroom so when I wake up and head there l’ll see the glass.

    My meal plan is a bit of a cheat this week since we’re getting Hello Fresh (l’ll weigh it to stay at calories). But it’s all written down in my planner. (Someone else here was a paper planner too! High
    five to that). Lucky you all get to see my week 🙃

    6hvovm9col2g.jpeg

    Everyone plans sound great btw, I do read them all and am impressed with this group! Keep it up everyone.

    Great logging in your planner love it!
  • tenazhsc
    tenazhsc Posts: 70 Member
    You guys are awesome!

    Here's my plan for this week.

    08/17/20 Monday 10 mins
    08/18/20 Tuesday
    08/19/20 Wednesday 10 mins
    08/20/20 Thursday 10 mins
    08/21/20 Friday 10 mins
    08/22/20 Saturday
    08/23/20 Sunday 10 mins

    Never give up! I don't know about you guys but for me there's always a new development and I gotta keep trying to figure out how to overcome it. I chose a relatively small goal because I know how life can be sometimes.
    Anyway, that's my plan for the week. Thank you for helping me and each other.
  • Xiaolongbao
    Xiaolongbao Posts: 854 Member
    tenazhsc wrote: »
    You guys are awesome!

    Here's my plan for this week.

    08/17/20 Monday 10 mins
    08/18/20 Tuesday
    08/19/20 Wednesday 10 mins
    08/20/20 Thursday 10 mins
    08/21/20 Friday 10 mins
    08/22/20 Saturday
    08/23/20 Sunday 10 mins

    Never give up! I don't know about you guys but for me there's always a new development and I gotta keep trying to figure out how to overcome it. I chose a relatively small goal because I know how life can be sometimes.
    Anyway, that's my plan for the week. Thank you for helping me and each other.

    10 minutes of what?
  • cilia2k
    cilia2k Posts: 63 Member
    Here is my weekly plan
    08/17/20 10000 steps
    08/18/20 10000, meal prep
    08/19/20 10000 steps
    08/20/20 10000 steps, meal prep
    08/21/20 10000 steps
    08/22/20 10000, meal prep
    08/23/20 10000 steps

    2 weeks to go 😁. My achivements so far are:
    1. Improved endurance
    2. Clothes fits better

  • MeganD1704
    MeganD1704 Posts: 733 Member
    Eek- I am a day behind! I worked till 11PM yesterday so wasn't able to jump on.

    Here is this weeks plan:
    08/17/2020- got 2 walks in, no excessive snacks :)
    08/18/2020- workout, stick to calories, finish my fast at 3 pm, get 2L of water in. (workout- lifting)
    08/19/2020-workout as its my "sleep in day", no excessive snacks, get 2L water in (workout- TRX lean body)
    08/20/2020-rest day (minus dog walk), no excessive snacks, get 2L water in
    08/21/2020-workout, no excessive snacks, get 2L water in (workout- cardio and free weights)
    08/22/2020-rest day (minus dog walk), no excessive snacks, get 2L water in
    08/23/2020-workout, no excessive snacks, get 2L water in (workout- TRX lean body or TRX weightloss).

    So far this month I've done 9 workouts- only 6 to go to meet my overarching goal there :)
    I also havent binged so far- which is huge.

    @fstrickl its me with the paper planner! I left it at home today by accident.
    I love your color coding :)

    @cilia2k those are great achievements so far :)! congratulations you must be feeling good

    @annliz23 congrats on the loss! A little rain never hurt no one :) you got this!

    @GabiV125 congrats on the plateau break! a big hug for you this week as one of your littles leaves the nest.

    @Xiaolongbao - so excited to watch you smash some goals by the end of the month! diet coke used to be a big thing for me..now its plain water, black coffee or bonebroth lol. It probably took me a full year to not want it as much D:

    @Vetleanni- how do you meditate? do you use a guided version or?

    @tenazhsc you got this!

  • Vetleanni
    Vetleanni Posts: 65 Member
    @MeganD1704 I do, atleast for now. I have been wanting to learn how to use meditation and visualisation for a long time, but it was not before I actually bought a small mental training program that I kinda started to understand what it is, and how to do it. The thing is, I was in a really stressful work period at the time, and by just trying to do the guided intro meditation a couple times a day to try it out, I honestly felt like it actually did make a difference by lowering my pulse, clearing my mind, and stressing down. Its more like a breathing exercise, but thats where the big health benefits of things like yoga are supposed to lie also, isnt it? or atleast its a part of it, by managing breath and lowering stress? :) The meditation im doing is called Moksha, and my goal is like before, to learn to use it for mental training and visualisation. Feel free to message me if you want to know more about the one im doing :)
  • Xiaolongbao
    Xiaolongbao Posts: 854 Member
    MeganD1704 wrote: »

    So far this month I've done 9 workouts- only 6 to go to meet my overarching goal there :)
    I also havent binged so far- which is huge.

    @Xiaolongbao - so excited to watch you smash some goals by the end of the month! diet coke used to be a big thing for me..now its plain water, black coffee or bonebroth lol. It probably took me a full year to not want it as much.

    Great job on the workouts and on not binging.

    Three times I’ve done a full year without Diet Coke etc. Once just over 18 months. I have never stopped missing it :-(. Part of the issue is there is absolutely nothing else I love to drink. I don’t drink tea/coffee/alcohol etc. I’ll drink juice or similar if it’s given to me but I’d never go out of my way to drink it. I don’t even like “real” soft drink. Even as a kid I wasn’t a fan of Coke (there was no Diet Coke when I was a kid). So when I give it up all I have left is water. Don’t get me wrong, I love water and drink a tonne of it (regardless of whether I’m having the odd Diet Coke) but sometimes it’s nice to have something flavored.

  • Vetleanni
    Vetleanni Posts: 65 Member
    good sunday morning to all of you :smile: Hope you have all had a good week, and reached your goals :smile:

    totalled out at more than 7hr+ for all 7 days this week, so reached my goals and then some. I almost feel like I have cheated though, I got an allergic reaction that made my eye swell up, and my doctor gave me some allergy tablets. Never taken an allergy tablet in my life. My doctor warned me not to take them if I was going for a long drive or something, because they would make me sleepy. Man, did those tablets kick in, I almost fell asleep over my coffe cup at work! :# So this week, i think i average at arould 10 hrs a day :lol:
    Last and final week of this challenge, and I hope to be getting a normal week ;) going for 7/7 days with 7hrs plus of sleep, and going to sleep no later than midnight.

    Wishing all you awsome people a good day :smile:
  • GabiV125
    GabiV125 Posts: 3,128 Member
    3rd week done. I had an ok to good week, meaning that I stayed within calories all except one day. Not so great part was that I had processed food for 2 days while visiting family out of state. Overall it made me so bloated, messed up my sleep, and added a pound on the scale, that I have to behave for this last remaining week, to function.
    The 3 exercises were there, just less intense and planned ahead: moved kid to college, a morning walk if 4 miles, take the dog an extra walk daily.
    The part that I’m proud is recognizing the traps and choosing the least damaging option from the menu while away from home. That pound is water.
    I’m excited for the 4th week with same 2: stay in calories and 3 exercises .
    Good luck everyone!
  • fstrickl
    fstrickl Posts: 883 Member
    Hello all! Wow! Finale week of August. I don’t know about you but this month has felt weird for me.

    My past week was good for staying hydrated (this actually the first time I’ve actively logged my water so it’s been good to know how much I need until I’m hydrated) bad for lights out on time. 😬 Not much will change in my weekly plan but I realize I can calculate a guess for my sleep time. I’m going to continue starting my day with a glass of water even though it’s sometimes hard for me to get down.

    Below is my suppers, I need to use my produce.

    Mon 8/24 - Kohlrabi Schnitzel
    Tue 8/25 - Cashew Crunch Salad
    Wed 8/26 - cauliflower parm
    Thu 8/27 - green bean and chickpea salad
    Fri 8/28 - spaghetti with roasted veggies
    Sat 8/29 - meatballs and roasted veggies
    Sun 8/30 - cheat/unplanned meal
    Expected Total sleep hours: 52.5 hours of sleep


    @Vetleanni hope your allergic reaction has subsided and you’re feeling rested from the extra zzzz’s!

    @GabiV125 i know the frustration of travelling or staying with others and not being able to eat how you like. I hope the move to college went well for everyone. You must be proud!

    And I can’t remember other folks’ specific comments and don’t want to click back and lose what I’ve typed. 🤭 BUT I know you’re all kicking it with being consistent and being a support. Your workouts, menus, and attitudes are keeping me motivated because right now I am getting “tired” of it and tempted to not log, but because of you all I know I have folks watching my every move 😉.

    Let’s nail this last week of August!
  • MeganD1704
    MeganD1704 Posts: 733 Member
    Wow the end of August- I feel like this month just flew by. My favorite season is fall so I am very excited to be inching towards September. All my fall home décor will be up by Sept 15th, and my fall baking/freezing sessions for Christmas will begin (I am the family baker and supply every house treats, however since I bake with regular flour and not gluten free I don’t touch it 😊).

    I had some scale success at long last- I dropped 4.1 lbs. This is a woosh for sure- it’s typically how my body is always playing catch up for prior weeks. I don’t expect much movement again till September.


    @vetleanni thank you! That sounds really interesting I am going to look into Moskha this week 😊 I hope your reaction is clearing up-those are never fun or enjoyable!
    @xiaolonbao thank you😊! Have you ever tried like the sodastream version? Not sure how it would work for you.

    @gabiV125 it sounds like you made really good choices given the circumstances and did what you could to mitigate it. I don’t enjoy limited selection or options either. I bet you burnt some good calories moving your son in! I know you’ll stick to your plan 😊!

    @fstrickl August honestly has flown by- so crazy! I cant believe it’s the final week already. Your dinners this week sounds delicious- especially the cashew crunch salad 😊 mmm.


    Here is this weeks plan:
    08/24/2020- workout, stick to calories, 2L water in - workout lifting (done!)
    08/25/2020- workout in the evening or am, stick to calories, get 2L of water in. (workout- legs)
    08/26/2020- workout, stick to calories, 2L water in (workout- TRX weight loss)
    08/27/2020-rest day (minus dog walk), stick to calories, get 2L water in
    08/28/2020-workout, stick to calories, get 2L water in (workout- cardio and free weights)
    08/29/2020-rest day (minus dog walk), stick to calories, get 2L water in
    08/30/2020-workout, no excessive snacks, get 2L water in (workout- TRX lean body or TRX weight loss).
    08/31/2020- workout, no excessive snacks, 2L of water, come back here and share my final stats 😊!
  • tenazhsc
    tenazhsc Posts: 70 Member
    Hi Guys!
    It's amazing to see the great progress you all have made. I look forward to see our progress in one week.
    @Xiaolongbao I've been doing a 10 minute jumping rope workout.

    Here's my program for this week.
    08/24/20 Monday 10 mins
    08/25/20 Tuesday 10 mins
    08/26/20 Wednesday
    08/27/20 Thursday 10 mins
    08/28/20 Friday 10 mins
    08/29/20 Saturday 10 mins
    08/30/20 Sunday 10 mins

    10 minutes means one workout.
    Let's finish strong!
  • GabiV125
    GabiV125 Posts: 3,128 Member
    Well the month is not over, just almost there.
    On this last week I did about half of my promises: kept within the calories about half of the days and although I exercised 3x, I did not meet my walking minimum about 3 days in a row.
    Weight wise I am about a pound less than was at the beginning, but I did try plenty new things, so it was definitely a learning experience. A positive one, not stellar, and I have to teach myself to be ok with it.
    Not an easy thing because I have about 20 years of bad self talk, to fight against. It never worked in the past, it never pushed me to improve, to try harder, or longer so I’ll go with what people here are saying. Breathe in and out and keep on paddling . This time it has to stick, no, this time it WILL stick.
  • Xiaolongbao
    Xiaolongbao Posts: 854 Member
    I weigh in on Saturdays so this is the end of the month for me.

    August 1 I was 65.7 kg with a trend weight of 65.8kg. Today I’m 63.1 kg with a trend weight of 63.4kg. So just over 2kg for the month which I’m very happy with.

    In relationship to my goals:

    1. Walk 80,000 steps a week. I blew this away with over 120,000 steps every week in August.

    2. I can’t remember if I ended up even officially making this a goal but I wanted to do a short Pilates series at least 4 times a week and I achieved that.

    3. Was no PepsiMax/Diet Coke etc. I did this for the first 3 weeks and then I decided to quit last weekend. I have excuses but the honest fact is that the mental energy I was using to deny myself my one treat a day was starting to feel counterproductive. I even tried baking and eating some cake each day instead. But I decided to focus on weight loss this past week and go back to having a can a

    So not a bad month. I hope everyone else’s wraps up ok too.
  • Vetleanni
    Vetleanni Posts: 65 Member
    Last sunday of the month, and the challenge. Hope everyone have had a good week :smile:

    I missed this weeks challenge, by 10 min on 2 out of 7days 🙄 one of them beeing today eaven though I had today off. Woke up too early because i drank too much water yesterday, and could not fall back to sleep.. all and all though, I'm really happy with this last month! I have for sure had a better sleep pattern now than I have had in the last 6 months probably! :smile:

    Thank you @fstrickl and @MeganD1704 , my eye is all better now :smile:

    @Xiaolongbao , you freakin killed it this month!! :smiley:

    And @GabiV125, you kicked *kitten* too! you still got good results, eaven though you didn't hit your numbers on all days this week :smile: 20 years of bad self talk is really tough 😞 I hope you are able to break the bad circle
  • Vetleanni
    Vetleanni Posts: 65 Member
    @tenazhsc how did your week go?
    And what now? Are we doing something for september? :)
  • annliz23
    annliz23 Posts: 3,744 Member
    I have enjoyed this thanks for setting it up.j003w6cqcdy8.jpg
  • fstrickl
    fstrickl Posts: 883 Member
    Hello everyone! Here we are at the end of the month. Here are my stats

    INITIAL STATS
    August 1st
    Weight - 175.2 lbs
    Fat% - 27% or 34% (two different calculators. 1st was from verywellfit.com, the other is the US Navy Method, the link provided by tenzasch)

    Measurements
    Neck - 14.25
    Bust - 42.5
    Waist - 31
    Hips - 43
    Forearm - 10
    Bicep - 12
    Thigh - 25.25
    Calf - 15

    Stats on August 31st
    Weight - 170.95
    Fat % - 27(from very well fit) or 32.6 (from link provided)

    Neck - 14
    Chest - 41.5
    Waist - 30.5
    Hips - 42
    Forearm - 10
    Bicep - 12
    Thigh - L:25 R:24.5
    Calf - 15.(both)

    Drinking more water went well this month! Getting more sleep not as well. Overall, however, I am pleased. A bit concerned my thighs are different sized 😖. I can actually tell too, the muscle on my left thigh is more visible.

    Thanks for all the planning you put into this @tenazhsc !! And thank you everyone for the accountability and encouragement throughout the month. It looks everyone has made progress and learned something even if they aren’t where they wanted to be. Way to be consistent everyone. May September be a month you nail it again!
  • MeganD1704
    MeganD1704 Posts: 733 Member
    Wow that went by fast!!!

    I still have to take my measurements- This morning i had to be in early but I know they've come down. I will update that part tomorrow.

    INITIAL STATS
    August 3rd
    Weight -172.2
    Fat% -31% as per scale
    Photos taken

    Measurements
    August 1st
    Chest- 36
    Waist-41
    L Thigh- 26
    R Thigh- 25.5
    L + R Arm Bicep-14.5
    L + R Calves- 16.5

    END Stats
    August 3rd
    Weight -167.8 (4.4 lbs lost)
    Fat% -29.7 as per scale
    Photos taken

    Measurements- to update tomorrow
    August
    Chest-
    Waist-
    L Thigh-
    R Thigh-
    L + R Arm Bicep-
    L + R Calves-

    Very pleased with how August went. Its been a rough year but my hormones and my mood are finally shifting more positively from my miscarriage back in June. I appreciate the support this group brought me and can't wait to read all the updates tomo :)!
  • tenazhsc
    tenazhsc Posts: 70 Member
    you-did-it.jpg
    It's been an interesting month and I learned a lot.
    I see some of your goals and it really inspired me to look into them. During this month I made a sleeping schedule and while it wasn't my main goal I think it's something that'll benefit me moving forward.
    I also did intermittent fasting and it feels great to do plus I learned about the benefits of doing it.

    My goal was to incorporate a 10-minute workout into my daily routine and I'll say that this part I failed.

    I'm not a superstitious person but the weirdest things happen every time I say I want to do something good for myself something major happens that I would otherwise interpret as 'signs' but then again I'm not that person.
    For instance I left the baby gate partially locked and my son was able to dislodged it and he fell down the stairs. I did this one morning when I was going to go for a walk. And I just had any number of problems that made this month just a bit too challenging to see any real progress.

    My stats for the end of the month, the end of the challenge are as follow:

    Weight = Up 0.8 lbs
    My body dimensions remained exactly the same except for hips which is bigger 3/8" yeah my butt grew lol.

    It was great overall because if not for this challenge I think I would have completely given up on any sort of goals and while I did not see the goals I wanted at least it kept me grounded.

    @Vetleanni I start classes on September 8th and I know I'll be booked but I'm interested in knowing what you guys have in mind. We can also just do it at the FL level since most of you log daily and participate over there as well.
  • tenazhsc
    tenazhsc Posts: 70 Member
    And just a quick roll call to see how many are left lol
    We started the month with:
    @Xiaolongbao
    @cilia2k
    @MeganD1704
    @GabiV125
    @fstrickl
    @annliz23
    @debrakgoogins
    @6mogoal
    @Vetleanni
    @Lyallatron
    @msunat97
    @Mithridites

    Are we all still here? even if you didn't participate week to week, how was your month? What's your plan for September?
  • Vetleanni
    Vetleanni Posts: 65 Member
    Im still here ;) and getting ready for september. I summed up august above, so im not gonna repeat myself ;) My plan for september is to go keto. I have been dabbeling with low carb before, but this time im gonna log everything, I just bought a ketone blood tester also so ill be able to know exactly where im at.

    @tenazhsc glad to hear the challenge kept you grounded, when august turned out to be such a challenge. What is the FL level?
  • annliz23
    annliz23 Posts: 3,744 Member
    tenazhsc wrote: »
    And just a quick roll call to see how many are left lol
    We started the month with:
    @Xiaolongbao
    @cilia2k
    @MeganD1704
    @GabiV125
    @fstrickl
    @annliz23
    @debrakgoogins
    @6mogoal
    @Vetleanni
    @Lyallatron
    @msunat97
    @Mithridites

    Are we all still here? even if you didn't participate week to week, how was your month? What's your plan for September?

    I am still here I plan on building on this month by trying to improve on some if my results and increase my exercise levels.
  • GabiV125
    GabiV125 Posts: 3,128 Member
    I’m here too, and since I’m having trouble with the calories, that’s the only thing I’m going to work on in September
  • debrakgoogins
    debrakgoogins Posts: 2,033 Member
    edited September 2020
    I am still here...just didn't post actively. This is how I did..

    Caber: I will turn the caber in competition (my white whale...has happened in practice, not in competition). Since I can't practice this at home, I will do rock drills to build my explosive strength. (I have a competition on 9/19 - let's see what happens!)

    Weight for distance: Throw 40' with the 14 pound and 30' with the 26 pound (I concentrated on the 14 pound and hit my goal once but not consistently.)

    Weight for height: Clear 13' with the 26 pound (Cleared 11', still working on this!)

    Hammer throw: Toss 50' with the 12 pound and 45' with the 16 pound (I have consistently been doing between 15 and 55 feet with the 12 but haven't been working on the heavy hammer.)

    Braemar stone: Put 20' with the heavy stone (not nearly what I want to do but stone putting is my worst event)
    Open stone: Put 25' with the light stone (refer to the last entry about how I kind of suck at stone putting)) (Done and done for stones!)

    Sheaf: Clear 19' (by far my best event) (Cleared over 19' consistently...even came darn close to 22!!)

    For September I have my upcoming competition so I will just keep working to improve before that then work on my weakest events for the rest of the month.

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